Theodor schneider



(No Model.)

T. SCHNEIDER.

GARD DISTRIBUTER.

No. 372,889. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

N. PETERS. rlmlu-Limagnpher, wzshingmn. mc.

rNiTsD STATES PATENT Fries.

THEODOR SCHNEIDER, OF DRESDEN, GERMANY.

CARD-DISTRIBUTER.

EPECIEICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,389, dated November 1, 18 87.

Application filed February 8, 1886. Serial No. 191,264, (No model.)

holding or storing businesseards, circulars,

and other like matter, so that one card or one sheet at a time can be taken therefrom, the mechanism acting automatically to push out one card or one sheet at a time, as is required, at each operation of the machine.

The invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l is a general plan of the improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is an elevation of it. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail drawing of the feedingdisk and its operating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a detailed view of the device for pivoting the feeding-disk to its rotating pulley.

The cards, circulars, &c., held in and distributed by this apparatus are deposited in a holder,f, which is preferably a rectangular box open at the top. This holder is mounted in an inelosing-ease, g, which also contains all ofthe other operative parts of the apparatus. The said holder is mounted in and attached to its inclosing-case by means of a rock-shaft or roller, bon which it is allowed a slight oscillating movement up and down, the ends of the said shaft or roller b being secured to the inclosing-case. The holder f carries near its upper and inner end a transverse shaft 'or axle, a. The cards c are perforated, so as to allow the shaft or axle a to pass through them, and near the other end of the cards and below them is placed a transverse bar, d, the ends of which are attached to the sides of the holder-easef, and this bar forms a seat or sliding har, on which the cards c rest and on which they easily slide from side to side, as required in their delivery, as presently explained.

The perforations of the cards c vfor the shaft a are best made in the form of small slots eX- tending from the shaft-seat to the end of the card, so that they may be easily put into the machine; otherwise the said shalt a must be made easily detachable from the apparatus, so that the cards may be put on the shaft by running one of its ends through them. A followerplate, p, is also perforated for the shaft a, and rests on the sliding bar d by the side of the pack of cards, and it is arranged to constantly press' against the contiguous side of the pack or stock of the cards in the holder and habitually press the whole pack or stock toward the delivery side of the apparatus, so that as one card is removed the next following card will be pressed up to take its place, and so on until the whole stock of cards shall have been removed from the machine. This followerplatep is operated by a spring-bar, o, which is secured at its front end to a bracket, o', attached to the holder-casef, and at its rear end presses against a convex button, p', attached to the contiguous face of the follower-plate p. A coiled spring, i, has one of its ends secured to the inner side of the holder-easef, and its other end to the inside of the follower-bar 0, and acts with a constant tension to draw the follower-bar and its followerp tightly up to the side ofthe stock or pack of cards, so as to press them over toward the delivery side of the apparatus.

The shaft a carries on it,at the delivery side of the apparatus, a card-lifter disk, k, which is rotated with and by the said shaft. Outside of the said disk there is also loosely mounted on the shaft a a wheel-or drum, e, which is rotated, as hereinafter described. A pair of studs or lugs, m a, are secured to the inner face of the wheel e, and a corresponding pair of lugs attached to and projecting from the contiguous face of the disk k are placed by the sides of and joined to the said lugs m a by means of a pivot-pin, m, so as to allow the said disk 7c to swing thereon as on a hinge, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3.

A coiled spring, Z, has one of its ends secured to the outer side of the disk 7c, near its periphery, on the pivoted side of it, and the other end ofthe said spring is attached to the contiguous face of the disk or arm k, which is mounted on the shaft a outside of the wheel c. This spring Z constantly draws the attached side of the disk k toward k, the disk le swinging on its hinge m a m', and this causes the feeding studs or teeth x y z, with which the other side of the disk 7c is provided, to press against the contiguous face of the cards c. The disk k, thus swinging on its hinge m a m IOC) and mounted on its rotating shaft a, in order to allow for this laterally-swinging movement, is slotted for the passage ofthe shaft a, or the said shaft may be bent to accommodate the lateral movement of the disk 7c, as` shown by the bend et in Fig. 3. An operating-cord, h, has one of its ends fastened to the end of the case g at h and its other end secured to the vro bracket h, attached to the inside of the said case g at some considerable distance from the axle a. The intermediate part of the cord h is turned once or twice around the loose wheel or drum e, and the said wheel or drum eis rotated by this cord, as presently explained.

The card-holder casef, mounted on its trunnion or fulcrum support b, is allowed a tipping or oscillating movement thereon, and it is normally held in an inclined or sloping position by the spiral spring q, which habitually holds thefront end of the card holderfslightiy raised up, as shown in Fig.v2. Anoperating knob or handle, c, is attached tothe front end of the case or holderf, b'y means of which to press it down. When the operator presses down on the knob v, he depresses the front end of the ca'sef against the action of the holding-spring q, and by the same movement he causes the drum` or wheel e to rotate slightly,by reason of the cord h being wound around it and the ends of the cord being securely attached to the fixed case g. This semi-rotation of the wheel c is likewise communicated to the disk k, throwing the teeth or feeding studs orteeth y z of the said disk downward and imping# ing them tightly against the outside ofthe first card of the pack. The effect 0f this combined movement of the disk 7c and its teeth as y z is to push the front or free end of the said first card up on the upward reciprocating movement of the card-holder, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that it may readily be drawn from the stock of cards or sheets in the case or holderf. Whenever a card is so drawn from the case or holderf, another (the next following card) is raised up, ready for withdrawal, by simply pressing down on the knob c, in the manner above described. As the downward pressure on the push-knob c is usually quickly done, and as the actionfofthe spring q in raising the front end ofthe holder-casejiunaided by any regulating device, would be equally quick, and as such a quick upward movement would be unfavorable to the full and free action of the card-lifter disk 7c a: y z, I add to the mechanism of the apparatus a regulator which permits this free quick downward movement of the case f, and which checks its upward movement to the speed best adapted to the free operation of the said card-lifter.

This regulator consists of a cylinder, rawhich is mounted on trunnions u at its bottom end, so as to allow it an oscillating movement. This cylinder is fitted with a sliding piston, s, and its piston-rod s', at its upper end, is attached to a lug projecting from and attached to the front end ofthe holder-casef. The

piston s is provided with a valve, r, which is constructed to open wide and quickly when the piston is rapidly pressed down by pressing on the knob c, as above described, so as to allow the air from the bottomend of thev cylinder easy and quick escape therefroimand then when the piston is so pressed down the;

ai r-vent 1" is arranged, by means of a regulatl ing-screw fitted' to its aperture, to allow the air to re-enter the lower end of the cylinder case up, though permitting its depression, andv a rotating swinging disk placed at the delivery side of the card-holder and arranged to impinge against the adjacent face ot' the cards held therein, and also to rotate upwardly and thereby lift up the front end of the first or outside card at each semi-rotation, the whole combined and arranged substantially as described and set forth.

2. The card holderf, the operating or lifting spring q, the cardlifter lc, and the actuating-wheel e and cord 7L, combined and arranged as described and set forth.

3. The oscillating card-holderf, the cardlifter 7c, wheel e, and operating-cord lz., in combination with the follower p, follower bar 0, and actuating-spring t', substantially asV del scribed and set forth.

4. The regulating device consisting of the cylinder u, piston s, with its Krod s', valve 1^,

and vent r', in combination with the cardholderf and its liftingspring q, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. y

THEODOR SCHNEIDER.

Witnesses:

OscAR MHLNER, B. Roi.

ICO

IIO 

